IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,264,857
Granted Patent B2
US 12,264,857 · App. 18/042,067 · Granted Apr 1, 2025

Liquid reservoir for refrigeration system, and refrigerator

Inventors: Jianquan Chen (Qingdao, CN); Jianru Liu (Qingdao, CN); Dongqiang Cao (Qingdao, CN)
Assignees: QINGDAO HAIER SPECIAL REFRIGERATOR CO., LTD; QINGDAO HAIER REFRIGERATOR CO., LTD.; HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD.
F25B43/006F25D17/067F25B2400/03F25D2317/0661F25D2317/067F25D2317/0683F25D2500/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,264,857
App. No.
18/042,067
Granted
Apr 1, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided are a liquid reservoir for a refrigeration system, and a refrigerator. The liquid reservoir comprises: a drum body, a gas-liquid separation chamber being defined therein; and an air intake pipe, used for connecting to an evaporating pipe of an evaporator of the refrigeration system, and extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber from one end of the drum body, the end of the air intake pipe extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber being provided with a baffle opposite to a mouth of the air intake pipe, such that a mixture discharged from the air intake pipe hits the baffle and is discharged into the gas-liquid separation chamber from an interval between the baffle and the air intake pipe.

Claims (30)

1. A liquid reservoir for a refrigeration system, comprising:

a drum body, a gas-liquid separation chamber being defined therein; and

an air intake pipe, used for connecting to an evaporating pipe of an evaporator of the refrigeration system, and extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber from one end of the drum body, the end of the air intake pipe extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber being provided with a baffle opposite to a mouth of the air intake pipe, so that a mixture discharged from the air intake pipe hits the baffle and then is discharged into the gas-liquid separation chamber from an interval between the baffle and the air intake pipe,

wherein the pipe diameter of the part of the air intake pipe extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber gradually shrinks from the section of the air intake pipe in contact with the drum body to the end of the air intake pipe provided with the baffle with the increase of an extending length.

2. The liquid reservoir according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a plurality of support ribs, extending out from the end of the air intake pipe extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber along the extension direction of the air intake pipe, the baffle being fixedly connected to the support ribs to form the interval between the baffle and the air intake pipe by means of the plurality of support ribs.

3. The liquid reservoir according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an exhaust pipe, extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber from the other end of the drum body, a set interval being formed between the end of the exhaust pipe extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber and the baffle.

4. The liquid reservoir according to claim 3 , wherein

the length of the exhaust pipe extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber is less than the length of the air intake pipe extending into the gas-liquid separation chamber.

5. A refrigerator, comprising:

an evaporator; and

the liquid reservoir according to claim 1 , connected to an evaporating pipe of the evaporator.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , further comprising:

a refrigerator body, provided with a bottom liner at a bottom of the refrigerator, the bottom liner defining a cooling chamber and a storage space, and the cooling chamber being arranged below the storage space; wherein

the evaporator is entirely in a flat cuboid shape and is arranged at a front part of the cooling chamber; and

the liquid reservoir is arranged behind the evaporator.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein

the liquid reservoir is arranged obliquely and upwards from the end with the air intake pipe.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein

the evaporator is a finned evaporator, comprising:

a group of fins, arranged in parallel along the front-and-back direction of the refrigerator body;

an evaporating pipe, penetrating through the fins; and

support end plates, arranged on both sides of the fins,

wherein an outlet of the evaporating pipe is arranged behind the support end plate on one side, and extends to the liquid reservoir in an arc shape.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein

the evaporator is obliquely arranged along the depth direction of the refrigerator relative to the horizontal direction, the oblique direction of the evaporator is upward from front to back of the refrigerator, and the refrigerator further comprises:

an air duct cover plate, arranged in the front of a back wall of the bottom liner, and defining an air supply duct with the back wall of the bottom liner, the air duct cover plate being provided with at least one air supply outlet, and the air supply outlet being used for connecting the air supply duct and the storage space; and

a centrifugal fan, obliquely arranged on a back side of the evaporator entirely, and used for causing formation of a refrigerating airflow from air in front of the cooling chamber discharged to the air supply duct through the evaporator, the centrifugal fan inclining upward from front to back of the refrigerator,

the distances from the center of an air inlet of the centrifugal fan to side plates on both sides of the bottom liner being different, and the distance from the center of the air inlet to a side wall of the bottom liner close to the outlet of the evaporating pipe being greater than the distance to a side wall of the bottom liner away from the outlet of the evaporating pipe.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 17, 2023
From: CHEN, JIANQUAN; LIU, JIANRU; CAO, DONGQIANG
To: QINGDAO HAIER SPECIAL REFRIGERATOR CO., LTD; QINGDAO HAIER REFRIGERATOR CO., LTD.; HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 062731/0625 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 202021727434.9 · Aug 18, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230304720A1 · Sep 28, 2023
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